Three Months
by BkWurm1
Summary: With time running out and the risk of being stranded off planet for the next three months, Daniel grapples with his growing feelings for Vala and how they affect the choices he makes. Originally published on LJ for 2012 Month of Love
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Three Months

**Author**: BkWurm1

**Pairing**: Daniel/ Vala (Stargate Sg-1) (Only D/V, no other pairings)

**Rating:** PG

**Timeline**: Sometime after Continuum but during the Stargate Universe (brief mention)

**Summary:** With time running out and the risk of being stranded off planet for the next three months, Daniel grapples with his growing feelings for Vala and how they affect the choices he makes.

Keeping his back to the DHL, Daniel dropped into a crouch, pulled his pistol from the holster and in the fading blue twilight, scanned the silhouetted tree line. He heard another loud snap and rotated his aim twenty degrees to the south. Vala was right; something was out there.

During the thirty-minute trek back from the village, she repeatedly insisted she heard something, but each time SG-1 stopped to investigate, the sounds also stopped.

"Princess, you're just jumpy," Mitchell had accused as they walked along the path leading to the gate, "from all the tall tales the local's were spreading about the big bad wolf pack patrolling these here wicked woods."

Vala opened her mouth to protest, but Teal'c spoke first. "The beasts described were not strictly canine in nature. Even so, according to the people of Naturine, only those traveling alone have anything to fear from the creatures."

Vala looked insulted. "Afraid of them?" She put her hands on her hips. "As if a basic pack of four-legged predators could get under my skin." She stared her team down. "I am not imagining anything. I feel eyes boring into the back of my head, eyes with intelligence behind them." Mitchell rolled _his_ eyes and Teal'c said nothing. Vala's shoulders slumped and she turned to her remaining teammate.

She turned her imploring, grey eyes on him. "Daniel, all I'm asking is for a quick five minute grid search so we can deal with the culprit and be on our way." She beseeched him to back her up.

He hadn't known what to say. His gut told him to listen to her; she didn't fool around on a mission (well, not when it mattered), but just at that moment he wasn't certain he could trust his gut around Vala. The light from the second rising moon on P2X-411 made her skin look luminous and transformed her eyes into the kind of mysterious pools in which poets got lost. Worse yet, while she waited for his reply, she started nervously gnawing on the lush fullness of her red, lower lip and Daniel felt an all too familiar, punched in the stomach sensation that left him confused and cranky.

He brusquely shrugged off her instincts. "Vala, we don't have time for any more of your pointless delays."

Even as the words flew from his mouth, he knew he was being too harsh. Vala didn't flinch, but before she dropped her gaze and mutely resumed walking, he caught a brief flash of her confused hurt. Daniel clenched his fists and tried to ignore his guilt in putting it there. If she'd argued or called him an oaf, he could pretend she was upset because she didn't get her way, but her quiet acquiescence spoke loudly of only one thing, her disappointment in him. Who knew silent Vala would be the most annoying kind?

He stifled an escaping sigh. He wasn't being fair and he knew it. He had put that look on her face too many times lately. What the hell was wrong with him? He wished he could take it back. If only they had more time. That's what he needed to get his mind back in order. Instead, he justified his silence because of the ticking clock.

Sam wasn't along on this off world adventure to explain the astrophysical effects of planetary alignment, competing magnetic fields and the gravitational pull of P2X-411's paired moons in conjunction with the local spike in solar activity, but really, the details didn't matter, just the bottom line. They had less than half an hour before gate travel in or out of Naturine ceased for the next ninety days.

After Daniel discovered their seven-day cushion was suddenly gone, he discretely made their rushed goodbyes to the village elders gathered near the meeting hill. Most of the villagers were outside, dressed warmly for the crisp fall evening and already gathering around fires to sing, dance, tell stories and sample the abundance the summer had produced. This year the village celebrated more than just a plentiful fall harvest.

The Ori and their followers had been gone for more than a year and the last of the Baal's had been executed a month ago, but they still had the Lucian Alliance as a growing threat. Though their fleet had been hit hard while the Ori were still in power and new ships took time to build, they still found ways to spread their influence. A week ago, the SGC learned the Alliance had gated in a small army to Naturine.

In what was becoming a familiar refrain, the mafia of the Milky Way demanded that either the village hand over a heavy tithe of this year's crops and agree to grow the highly addictive Kasa next spring or they would burn the village to the ground now. Stargate Command offered a solution to the villagers' dilemma. SG-1 neutralized the immediate threat and the people of Naturine eagerly agreed to a treaty turning the long abandoned naquadah mines over to the SGC in exchange for continued support against the Alliance.

When Daniel explained the need for their sudden departure, the town council asked that the team leave quietly, so as not to disturb the festive mood. Teal'c returned to the cottage the team had been sharing to assist Mitchell in packing ore samples from the mines while Daniel ran back to extricate Vala from a throng of fascinated children. Her harrowing - and often dubious - tales of adventure and daring entranced the older youths. The younger ones already were happily enthralled by her sparkling smile, not to mention the actual sparkling trinkets she'd gifted to them.

Earlier this afternoon before their abrupt change in schedule, Daniel had followed the sun's rays as they caught and refracted off all those shiny rhinestones adoring the barrettes and badges Vala had given away and he found himself standing on the edge of Vala's spirited group. Drawn by the open animation on her face, he'd crept closer, but stayed out of sight.

He'd leaned against the roughhewn back wall of a cottage and as the late afternoon light stretched toward the horizon, watched and listened with a smile tugging at his lips. Despite all the darkness Vala had experienced, she somehow managed to retain a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm. She was no innocent, nor was she some kind of lobotomized optimist. Actually, she'd proved herself the most pragmatic of his teammates, facing betrayals and immediately grasping painful bottom lines without flinching, and yet she wasn't a cynic and as her friendship with Sam illustrated, when she opened her affection, it came without reserve.

Daniel wasn't ready to admit it aloud, but he envied Sam's easy relationship with Vala. From the beginning, he'd struggled to know how much of Vala's teasing was a wall she hid behind and how much was the truth. Sometimes he felt like he could read her mind, but too often she left him frustrated and clueless. Yet, though it all, he was drawn to her.

Watching her laugh and tease the children of Naturine, he'd lost track of time until the Village Elder's youngest daughter came looking for him. She tugged on his jacket and asked if the high-pitched, birdcall coming again and over from his laptop was important. Beeping, he realized after a moment. She meant the laptop was beeping.

Daniel wasn't sure what it said about his powers of concentration when a ten-year old did a better job of staying focused. As he rushed back to see what could be triggering the alarm, he took consolation in that at least this was a highly motivated ten-year old.

Like many children of the village, Terreine was fascinated with the Stargate. Long before the Lucien Alliance rudely arrived, the people of Naturine had known that the gate was a portal leading to other worlds, but they'd lost knowledge of how to make it function. Part of the treaty with the SGC included access to a safe off world marketplace created on behalf of several worlds.

Terreine begged her father to take her through the gate to the marketplace. Elder Durant agreed on two conditions, that she be good and helpful with their guests and that she stop sneaking off alone even during the day to examine the gate. She protested, but her father was adamant. The pack of local beasts that made the gate the center of their territory was nocturnal by natural, but he was unwilling to allow the risk.

After her deal with her father, she made good on her promise and not only frequently delivered pleasant little gifts like interesting flora, pretty rocks or handfuls of sweetly tart berries, but she also ran their errands and answered their mundane questions with enthusiasm.

Once Daniel followed Terreine back to his squawking laptop, he identified the reason for the alarm, quickly informed Mitchell of their problem, spoke to the Elders, and found Vala before regrouping with the rest of the team. They'd loaded their packs and slipped away in the fast fading light. Five minutes down the path, Vala swung around and scanned the woods. The rest of the team halted with their weapons at the ready. After a minute, she shrugged. "I thought I heard something."

"We probably just spooked this planet's equivalent of a bunny rabbit," Mitchell concluded. "Let's move out."

A few minutes later, she paused again, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head to the side. Daniel touched her arm. "Did you hear something?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, maybe, but I feel like something's out there watching."

"Well, I don't feel anything," Mitchell insisted and they kept going.

The same pattern repeated until they all finally shot down her intuition. During the last leg to the Stargate, Vala said nothing, but Daniel still saw her listening carefully and looking over her shoulder. They'd barely stepped into the clearing around the gate when Daniel heard a branch snap as if beneath the weight of a heavy footfall.

"Okay, this time I heard something."

Mitchell pulled his weapon and slowly turned around in a circle, checking out all the angles. "Let's just dial home and then it won't matter what anyone heard."

Daniel shrugged off his pack and set it at the base of the dialing device while he punched in the address for home. When he heard the rustling of dry leaves in the nearby thicket, followed by more branches breaking just off to the side of the path they'd taken from the village, he stopped dialing and pulled out his weapon. Was something circling around them? A moment later, he clearly heard the steady beat of footsteps rush toward them from another direction. Behind him, Daniel heard the whine of a Zat gun being readied. Crouched down, he steadied his aim and waited for something to burst out of the forest.

Vala called out, "Hold your fire!" At the same time a small body stumbled out of the surrounding forest. Daniel put the safety back on his gun, shoved it into the holster at his hip, and rushed to follow Vala.

Mitchell shined the light from his P-90 in the face of their stalker. Daniel groaned. "Terreine!"

"Crap. Say it ain't so Jackson."

"It is indeed the child known as Terreine."

Vala knelt next to the girl. "Why would you follow us here? Night has fallen. You know it's too dangerous."

Daniel crouched down on her other side. "What about your promise to your father?"

The child quickly shook her head. "I didn't break my promise. I'm not here alone. I came with you."

Vala sighed and pluck off a dry leaf clinging to the girl's brown hair. Terreine looked down and shuffled her feet. "I thought it would be alright as long as I didn't bother you. I know in the evenings you like to take walks with just your people."

"Patrols, those were patrols," Mitchell corrected.

She twisted the fabric of her cloak in her hand. "I overheard that this time you were going to the Stargate. I thought I could follow you without you knowing, that way you could have your alone walk and I could see the Stargate again."

Daniel scrunched his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Did you also overhear the part where we are going home?"

She shook her head. "I don't understand." Tears welled up in her eyes. "You were going to be with us until the end of the seven day." Something shifted in the woods around them and Terreine jumped and edged closer to Vala.

Mitchell quickly moved his light, scanning the dark forest. For just a second, the beam illuminated a pair of glowing eyes. "Terreine, did anybody else come with you?"

Shaken, she shook her head and whispered. "It's the beasts, they were following me."

Vala stood and took Terreine's hand, keeping her eyes fixed on the shadowed woods. "She is probably right."

"At least they're keeping their distance as advertised."

Terreine nodded solemnly. "They never attack groups, though today my cousin Thom said they do when they are howling."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that. The older boys were just trying to make their stories more frightening." Vala patted the child's hand and turned to Daniel. "What do we do now?"

Mitchell nodded at Teal'c to keep a look out on the unseen creatures they could hear circling them in the forest and stepped closer. "Jackson, I don't suppose we have time to take her back to the village, do we?"

"No." Daniel pulled out the laptop and checked the countdown. "Not even ten minutes before the gate is inoperable for the next three complete lunar cycles."

"Well, with those critters out beating around the bush there's no way we can send her home alone and I'm not leaving someone stuck here for the next three months, so that leaves…," Mitchell trailed off.

"She comes with us," Vala wrapped her arm around Terreine's shoulder.

"Yep, that's about it." Cameron shook his head. "Man, the paperwork is going to be murder. Dial it up Jackson."

"I'm going with you through the gate?" At first, Terreine's eyes lit up with excitement, then she remembered why the team was leaving and her forehead scrunched up and her mouth began to tremble. "Wait. How will I get home if the gate is going to stop working?"

Vala patted her hand. "Only for a few months. Then we can take you home." The girl didn't look reassured; she glanced down the path leading to the village with longing .

Daniel input the last symbols, activated the gate, and began sending the IDC code. The kawoosh of the stabilizing wormhole was almost drowned out by a lonesome cry erupting into the night. Then the entire pack joined in, weaving together a discordant harmony that made the hair on the back of Daniel's neck stand up.

Vala tilted her head. "Well that's creepy."

Daniel nodded. "No kidding, but I'm not sure if the timing is a coincidence. I wonder if they might be responding to the sub-harmonic waves produced by the Stargate."

Terreine started to tremble all over. "They're going to attack. We have to get back to the village."

"No one is going to attack," Vala absently replied. "See - they are already quieting down." Still, they tightened up their group and moved toward the glowing watery pool as one.

On the steps leading up to the gate, Daniel paused. "Wait, we need to leave a message behind for Terreine's parents. Kidnapping isn't the best way to christen the new treaty." Daniel swung his pack off his shoulders, crouched down and started digging in it his for a notebook. "Maybe leave a note of some kind to indicate she's safe."

"Jackson, do we really have time?"

"Only take a minute."

Mitchell rolled his eyes and motioned for Teal'c to go on through. "We're right behind you big guy." Teal'c nodded serenely and stepped through the rippling blue wall.

Daniel quickly scratched out a message and motioned for Terreine to put her name on the paper.

Vala let go of Terreine's hand and nudged her in Daniel's direction, but mid-step the girl froze. The canine chorus began to rise again and this time the choir was noticeably closer. The child's green eyes were wide with fright and her lips quivered in terror. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her middle. "It isn't safe here. They're howling. This is their territory. We can't be here. Not now. We have to go." Without warning, she turned and leapt off the side of the platform, her cloak billowing behind her as she took off at a dead run down the path before darting into the forest.

"Terreine!" Vala shouted. She dropped her pack, pushed past Mitchell and ran after Terreine, Zat gun in hand.

"Aww crap!" Mitchell kicked at the ground

Daniel watched Vala disappear into the night. He said aloud the one thought going through his mind. "She's never going to make it back in time."

Mitchell kicked at the ground again. "Crap, crap, crappity crap." He stopped swearing and rubbed his face with his hand. "Ok, here's what's going to happen. As commanding officer, I'm not going to leave a member of my team all alone, so I will stay behind as well. Come here and take this pack back with you. Maybe," he muttered under his breath as he loosened the strap around his waist, "sending back the signed treaty and the ore samples will keep Landry from reassigning me to Washington and Destiny's body snatching shore-leave duty."

Daniel wrenched his gaze from the spot where Vala disappeared and looked at SG-1'S current commanding officer. He slowly stood up, his head cocked thoughtfully to one side. "So you're suggesting that you stay, I go back, and for the next three months my last memory is Vala running off alone into the dark, wolf infested, woods…yeah, I don't think so." Acting on instinct, Daniel planted his palms against the middle of Mitchell's chest and shoved hard.

The weight of the rocks in Mitchell's pack pulled him off balance and he toppled backwards through the Stargate. Moments later, the watery blue pool flickered twice and then fizzled out completely. Daniel turned away from the now dark portal and toward the eerie, wolf like howls that continued to echo through the dark, dense woods.

He called out Vala's name and raced down the forest path.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Three Months

**Author**: BkWurm1

**Pairing**: Daniel/ Vala (Stargate Sg-1) (Only D/V, no other pairings)

**Rating:** PG

**Timeline**: Sometime after Continuum but during the Stargate Universe (brief mention)

**Summary:** With time running out and the risk of being stranded off planet for the next three months, Daniel grapples with his growing feelings for Vala and how they affect the choices he makes.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2-<p>

Mitchell landed like a turtle on its back. With his mouth open wide enough to catch flies, he lay there blinking long enough to see the wormhole destabilize and vanish. "He pushed me. I can't believe he pushed me," he muttered in disbelief. Someone knelt beside him on the metal grate.

"Colonel Mitchell, are you injured?" Teal'c asked.

He tried twisting to his side so he could see the big guy. "Owww." He drew out the syllable into a groan.

Teal'c called over his shoulder. "Colonel Mitchell requires medical assistance."

"No, wait," he grunted as he tried again to sit up and failed. "Nothing's broken, just help me get up. The damned rocks are digging into my spleen."

"That is not where your spleen is located."

"They're digging into something, dammit. Get me up!"

Teal'c reached behind Mitchell, grabbed a handful of material at the collar and pulled Cameron and his weighted pack upright. Mitchell wobbled on the sloping surface, but an Airman quickly steadied him and then helped remove his backpack. General Landry met them at the bottom of the ramp.

"What happened? Where's Dr. Jackson and Vala?"

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back. "They were to directly follow through the Stargate." He looked at Cameron and raised an eyebrow.

Mitchell brushed off his uniform as he answered. "We were all set, but then the local wolf pack started howling again." He shook his head. "Creepy as heck. Next thing you know, the kid got totally spooked and took off."

"Kid?" Landry's bushy eyebrows raised in unison.

"One of the village kids followed us to the gate. We were going to bring her back with us. No time to take her home and it wasn't safe for her to go back on her own."

"But she ran off?"

Mitchell nodded, "And Vala took right off after her."

"And Daniel Jackson chose to stay and assist," Teal'c guessed with a dignified bow.

"He pushed me is what he did," Mitchell fumed. "I was all set to stay, Commanding Officer and everything, but he just pushed me."

"What's their threat level?"

Mitchell sighed. "They're armed and the villagers are friendly, so minimal I suppose, except for Vala being sure to drive Jackson insane." A dawning realization swept over him. "Aww crap, none of that is going to matter." He grabbed the big guy's wrist. "Teal'c, tell me the truth. For losing Jackson again I'll be lucky if General O'Neil doesn't bust me down to Airman First Class."

Teal'c tilted his head and raised a single brow before smiling. "Indeed."

* * *

><p>(Back on Naturine)<p>

The howling grew in volume until it seemed to Daniel to be coming from every direction. It probably wasn't his imagination; all around him bushes moved, twigs cracked, and dry leaves crunched under some predator's paws. He stayed on the path and alternately called Vala and Terreine's names. He tensed as something on his right came crashing through the undergrowth. He got ready to fire.

"Don't shoot!" Vala called out as she burst out of the woods.

Daniel lowered his weapon and asked, "Terreine?"

She shook her head. "I haven't found her yet. Cameron?"

"Ahh, he went back through the gate."

The baying went up a notch and suddenly the pack took off in another direction. They looked at each other and started chasing after the fleeing creatures. True to legend, the beasts were running from them now that they formed a group, but to where was the pack running? One guess.

"Fire your gun!" Vala yelled.

"Why? I can't see anything to hit."

"Just make some noise, maybe it will scare them or something."

Daniel paused, raised his P-90 and let its rapid-fire discharge echo through the treetops. He lowered his weapon. "The howling stopped." So had the sounds of the creatures they were tracking. He turned to Vala. "What are we up against? Have you actually seen any of these not-wolves?"

Catching her breath, Vala shook her head and pointed to the ground. "I did see that though." Daniel aimed his light at the forest floor. Squashed into the mud, he saw what looked like the paw print of a dog except about three times bigger.

"Ooh, that's not good."

She lifted her Zat for a second. "I'm not sure if this will even work on a creature of that size"

Daniel frowned. He wasn't so sure either. "Come on, let's keep going."

"Which way?"

He looked around. "I don't know." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Terreine!" Behind them, the howling resumed. Daniel looked at Vala, but before they'd taken two steps in that direction, they heard a shrill scream.

"That's coming from over there." They reversed course and ran through the forest, toward the sound, heedless of the thin, bare branches whipping against their cheeks. After a minute, they slowed down.

"She has to be close."

Daniel shined his light 360 degrees. "Then where the hell is she? Terreine!" Not even a scream answered them. Were they already too late? "Why doesn't she answer?"

"Maybe she's too frightened."

"Vala, you're the expert in predatory animal behavior."

Vala shined her light in his eyes and raised a suggestive eyebrow. "If you say so."

Daniel scowled, "You know what I mean. What would you do if you were being stalked?"

"It all depends on knowledge and experience."

"The villagers have lived next to these creatures for years. We have to assume Terreine knows something about them as well. What do we know?"

"Well, based on the even depth to the indentations on the track we saw, I'd say the beasts have four, maybe five non-retractable claws."

"What does tell us?"

"Likely the pack isn't big on climbing."

"So we look up."

They angled their lights to search the treetops as well. Many of the upper branches retained their leaves, making it hard to identify the shadowy shapes. When Vala's flashlight swept past something sparkly, Daniel grabbed her hand and guided it back a few feet. "There!" He shouted and pointed. "What's that?"

The shiny cluster of sparkles shifted next to a tree branch and they saw a familiar small face. "Terreine!" In unison, they shouted her name in relief.

No amount of coaxing would bring her down and in the end, Vala climbed up and pried the little girl's steel grip from around the tree limb. She whimpered and then clung to Vala instead, sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Everything is going to be all right," Vala promised. Terreine wouldn't let go of her neck, which actually made climbing down easier. When they reached the ground, Daniel checked his compass, and taking point, led them out of the woods while Vala continued to carry the girl. Within ten minutes, they reached the path connecting the Stargate to the village.

Daniel stopped and shined his light up and down the path. Vala nodded toward the south. "The village is this way."

"But we left our packs back at the Stargate." Terreine whimpered and tightened her arms around Vala's neck. Daniel sighed. "Wait here, I'll run and get them."

Vala grabbed his shirtsleeve. "Bad idea."

"If I wasn't concerned about the equipment, I'd say leave them until later, but between the weather and the wildlife…" He trailed off. "As long as you two are together you should be safe."

"Which leaves you completely exposed and while I'm all for it under normal circumstances, need I remind you the size of those paw prints?"

He glanced at Terreine and lowered his voice. "She's too terrified to go back."

"Let me talk to her." Vala knelt on the dirt path, setting Terreine on her feet. "Terreine, sweetie, I need you to be brave. We need to go back to the gate."

"I'm not brave. I ran away."

"And then very sensibly climbed the highest tree you could, but that was before. We can't risk sending Daniel back on his own, now can we."

She shook her head.

"That's a good girl. Now take my hand and stay right behind Daniel."

By the time they reached the gate clearing, they heard howling again, but it was far off in the distance and Terreine felt brave enough to let go of Vala's hand and hold the flashlight. She moved the light over the symbols inscribed on the ring while Vala and Daniel retrieved their packs. Daniel pulled out the laptop and punched a few keys. Vala knelt beside him. "I don't suppose the computer got it wrong and the gate is actually still working?" she asked in hushed tones.

"No. This is one of Sam's programs. Besides, I saw the vortex collapse right at the predicted time."

Vala nodded thoughtfully. "And by the time any of our allies' ships or our own ships became available and traveled to this cozy corner of the galaxy…"

Daniel finished her sentence. "We'd already be dialing home."

"Right." She stood and swung her pack up on her shoulders. "Well, it's not like I've haven't been marooned in far worse places," she glanced down at Daniel and their eyes locked, "or with far less pleasant company." She didn't look away and the moment stretched out in slow motion.

Three months. The number repeated in Daniel's mind. By his own choice, he was alone off world with Vala for the next three months. No evil race or beings from a higher plain running amuck. No backlog of work. No nosey teammates. Not even a dusty ruin for distraction. His heart started to pound. His mouth went dry. Anything glib or noncommittal or sarcastic that he could have said stayed frozen in his throat.

Before Daniel could find his voice, Vala turned and held her hand out to Terreine, "Ready to go back to the village?"

Daniel blinked and felt the unexpected paralysis leave him, but he stayed silent, bemused by his earlier reaction. He frowned as he put away the laptop and retrieved a fallen notebook. Just what did he think was going to happen?

He shrugged on his backpack, retrieved his P-90, and started walking out of the clearing. He called over his shoulder. "I'll stay on point. Let's go."

Vala kept Terreine between them as before, but let her hold on to the flashlight. Being in control of the bright beam seemed to help her stay calm. Daniel focused on the mission at hand in order to keep new swirling thoughts at bay.

Half an hour later, they were back on the outskirts of the Village. Glowing bonfires dotted the nightscape and they heard music and laughter. Their return brought offers of food and drink, which they brushed off for later, but the greeting did not come with surprise or concern.

"I take it our planned departure didn't become common knowledge?" Vala guessed.

"The village elders didn't want to dampen the celebration. Doesn't seem like anyone sounded an alarm about Terreine being missing either," Daniel observed. "Maybe they didn't realize she was gone."

"Does that mean we don't have to tell my father?" Terreine asked hopefully.

Vala stifled a smile. "My kind of girl."

Daniel rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I don't think that's going to work out. If nothing else, he's going to wonder why we're still here."

Terreine lifted her head. "How long can you stay?"

Vala squeezed her shoulder. "I'd say we'll still be here for winter solstice."

Terreine brightened. "That will give me lots of time to be helpful."

They wound their way between the dancing and merriment, dropping off their heavy packs at the cottage before they headed toward the seat of the council. They found the heads of the town gathered around a fire near the meeting hill exactly where Daniel last bid them goodbye. Elder Durant spied his daughter in their company and stood to greet them.

"Doctor Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran. We did not expect to greet thee again so soon. Is all well? Where are your companions?"

"They have safely returned to Earth. We though, ah," he glanced at Terreine, "ran into a complication." She dropped her head and shuffled her feet.

They quickly related what happened; Elder Durant grew stern when he learned his daughter followed them to the gate and paled on hearing of her flight through the forest from the beasts.

"I had no idea the creatures had grown so bold. I am in your debt. Please, tell me how I can repay you."

"Normally I'd insist that your continued friendship is more than enough, but I'm afraid we are in a position of needing to impose upon your hospitality until gate travel is possible again."

"Of course, of course, but that is nothing we wouldn't have willingly offered to any friend of our people let alone ones who brought peace back to our village, so I repeat, I am in debt to you both, do not hesitate to call on me."

Elder Durant looked at his daughter and frowned. "In the meantime, Terreine, you will return to your chamber, the celebration is over for you. We will speak of your punishment tomorrow. Now there is one other matter." He glanced at Vala, then Daniel, hesitated and then turned his attention to Vala, "Would you do me the favor of helping my daughter find her way home?"

Vala raised an eyebrow. "She needs help finding her way home?"

"Vala," Daniel said her name, imploring her not to make waves so soon in their forced stay.

Vala smiled overly sweetly. "Of course." She turned and urged Terreine to walk in front of her, pausing to lean in close to Daniel as she passed. Not speaking above a murmur, she informed him, "Don't think I don't know a dismissal when I hear one and don't think I will so quietly walk away next time. Three months can be a verrry long time."

He gave her a tight smile. "Don't I know it." She patted him on the cheek and sashayed around the corner. She caught up to Terreine in a few strides, laced her fingers through the child's and tugged her in a different direction. "Come on."

Terreine pointed over her shoulder, "but I live just three houses …," Vala interrupted her.

"Shh. Don't remind me. Now I promised your father I would take you home, but as I am a stranger here, he can't blame me if I take the long way around, specifically the way that takes us past the feasting table." Terreine's eyes lit up and Vala continued. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Terreine's stomach answered for her, but she hesitated. Vala squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, we'll be quick, and just slip in while your mother is occupied overseeing the celebration. As for you father," she grumbled, "I'm pretty sure now that we fabulous females are out of the way, the men plan to jabber on and on about something dreadfully boring."

Terreine nodded wisely. "Father always talks for a very long time."

"All Village Elder's do. I think it is how they get the job. One would think Daniel had political ambitions." She stopped in front of the feast table and picked up a flat, day old round of bread that was to be used as a trencher to hold the food. "Now what strikes your fancy?"

Vala flashed Terreine a conspiratorial smile. "Consider it an apology for having to tell your father, since by your sound reasoning technically you did not break your promise, though my dear, you do owe it to yourself to think about how your actions put you and others in danger." Terreine solemnly nodded.

"On the other hand, in my opinion, you deserve a reward for getting past your fears and returning to the gate, but so as to not cause trouble," she scanned the dessert offerings, "preferably a reward that leaves behind no evidence."

They quickly made their selections and took them back to the Village Elder's home. As expected, no one was there to monitor their arrival. Vala encouraged Terreine to polish off the lion's share of the chosen morsels and then while Terreine cleaned up the crumbs, Vala wrapped the final piece of cake in an Airforce issued handkerchief and suggested it be kept hidden in the wardrobe in case punishment took the form of bread and water. They fed the stale bread they'd shared for a plate to the pigs.

Vala brushed off her hands. "There, no trace of our secret feast."

Terreine cocked her head and studied her. "You're not like other adults, are you?"

Vala gave her a blazing smile and lightly clucked her under the chin. "My dear, that may be the highest compliment anyone has ever paid me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Three Months

**Author**: BkWurm1

**Pairing**: Daniel/ Vala (Stargate Sg-1) (Only D/V, no other pairings)

**Rating:** PG

**Timeline**: Sometime after Continuum but during the Stargate Universe (brief mention)

**Summary:** With time running out and the risk of being stranded off planet for the next three months, Daniel grapples with his growing feelings for Vala and how they affect the choices he makes.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3-<p>

"There you are Daniel."

He jumped when he heard Vala's voice. He told himself he hadn't been trying to avoid her, but he hadn't been in a hurry to run into her either after his conversation with Elder Durant and so he slipped back to the cottage to start an inventory of what useful supplies they'd brought with them. He hoped Vala's pack would be more fruitful than his own. At least he wouldn't run out of notebooks or pencils in the next three months.

"So…?" She prompted.

"Hmm?" He played ignorant.

"Your conversation with the big Swiss. What was so unsuitable for feminine ears?"

"Big cheese," he automatically corrected and rubbed at the tension gathered at the back of his neck, "and ah," he shrugged, "it was nothing really."

She crossed her arms. "Daniel, you forget that I spent time growing up in a village not so very different from this one. It was something" she insisted.

"He, ah," Daniel paused and scratched at his ear, "just wondered if we would be more comfortable staying with families, you know, so there would be someone to do the cooking, chop wood, bring in the water. That sort of thing."

"Separately?"

"Right, so as to not overburden one household."

"And you told him…"

"Oh, just the standard, trapped off world protocol; that we prefer to keep team members together when at all possible."

"And he agreed to that?"

"Um, yep," he answered casually as he began reorganizing his pack. "We will of course, have to take on more chores, of course."

"Of course. I can handle it, can you?" She wagged her eyebrows suggestively.

He ignored the unspoken challenge. "Compared with many archeological digs, our accommodations are luxurious."

"Like you're on a vacation?"

"What? No, not exactly."

"Yes exactly and out there at this very minute is a party."

"I was going over our supplies."

"Pft, you were hiding."

"No, I was being responsible."

"You're being unsocial. Responsible can wait. Forcing you to confess what you think you are hiding can wait…unless you'd really rather stay in and talk about it."

"I'm sure I don't have a clue what you're talking about but," he closed his pack and set it aside, "you are right about the celebration; it would be rude not to attend."

His sudden eagerness to attend the party made Vala narrow her eyes and look at him funny. She crossed her arms. "I've changed my mind. I think we should talk first."

"Vala, I don't think…"

"No, that's just it, I don't think you _are_ thinking. I told you. I grew up in a village like this and I well know how keen they are about enforcing their viewpoints on propriety."

"And I explained there is no impropriety going on."

Vala raised one eyebrow. "Gave him the old friends and co-workers routine? I doubt he found that argument terribly cohesive. I know I never have."

He held up his hands in surrender. "You're right, with the rest of our team absent, he did express concern about you and me continuing to share quarters, but we talked and…and now everything is fine."

"Fine you say." Vala cocked her head to the side and reached out to toy with his collar. "Daniel, I have great faith in the talents of your tongue, but you don't seriously expect me to believe the leader of this quaint medieval village would ever be willing to let an able-bodied man such as yourself," she paused for effect, "and smolderingly attractive woman such as myself, live together - alone - for the next three months?" She dropped her hand back down to her side and crossed her arms. "What did you tell him? Hmm?"

Daniel looked away from Vala's searching stare. He cleared his throat and reached up to adjust his glasses, but since he was wearing contacts, awkwardly dropped his hands back to his sides before he shoved them deep into the pockets of his green BDUs. Once more Vala narrowed her eyes.

"Daniel..."

"Alright, alright," he confessed. "I may have allowed Terreine's father to make some assumptions about our status that will allow us to remain where we are."

"Ha! I knew it!" She preened and grinned while she twisted side to side. "You told him we were married."

"Why do you assume married? He'd make the same allowances if you were my sis…," he stopped midway through the word and scrunched up his face like he'd tasted something sour. "Fine, yes, he thinks we are married."

"There now, was that so hard? You could have simply told me instead of making a whole big production out of it."

"I only did it out of practical reasons."

"Yes, very practical," she nodded agreeably. "Extremely practical. I can't remember that last time I've ever heard of something so very practical."

"Vala." He said her name as a warning, which she chose to ignore.

She fluttered her eye lashes. "Yes, my dearest husband?"

He heavily dropped his head forward and sighed. "This was why I didn't want to tell you. You're not taking this seriously, and…"

"On the contrary, since I assume neither of us wants to get caught in a lie by the Village Elder - they generally have no sense of humor about that sort of thing – I am simply trying to meet the kind of expectations others will have of us."

"So… this is you, practicing your part?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded and gave him an enigmatic smile. "Just follow my lead and before the night is over, no one will question the truth about our relationship." She held her hand out to him. "Come on. We are in this together. Take a chance for once."

He hesitated, but in the end gave in and took her hand. "Fine, but no funny stuff."

"Marvelous." She unleashed her brilliant smile and before he knew it, she'd linked their elbows together and steered him outside. She led him straight to the feasting table where Daniel discovered he was famished, which was not surprising since in anticipation of the celebration, they'd fasted all day. Only the very young or infirm had been exempt from the custom, though Daniel knew Mitchell secretly broke into his emergency rations around midday.

Vala left him salivating in front of the tempting offerings with instructions to get two of everything good while she fetched drinks. Not certain of what wouldn't constitute something good, he'd filled two overflowing plates before Vala returned and beckoned him to follow her toward the crowded makeshift tables set up in the middle of town.

"We'll just claim this little corner."

Daniel glanced dubiously at the line of bodies taking up most of the long bench. "I'm not so sure there is enough room."

Taking the food from his hands and setting it on the table, she grabbed his upper arm and tugged him over to the bench. "Don't worry about it. There's plenty of space," she claimed before taking his shoulders and exerted downward pressure until he reluctantly sat down.

He studied the man next to him on the bench. There was a little space between them, but Vala would still be half in his lap. In that moment, her plan finally dawned on him and he started to rise, but before he could stand, she had already slid her arm along the back of his neck and shimmied on to his lap. Without thinking, he grabbed her around the waist to stop her from toppling back and he couldn't set her in front of him or push her away because of the table. He sat back down and glared at her.

"Vala!" He barked.

"Now don't make a fuss." She patted his chest. "Look around you. It's crowded. This is perfectly common." Glancing around the gathering, he saw that she was right. Half the women in attendance sat on laps or knees. That still didn't keep his face from slowly turning crimson.

"Vala."

"Daniel?"

The man on his right nudged him. "I've got room for her."

Daniel stiffened. He answered tight-lipped. "No, it's fine," He shifted so they angled away from their dinner companion, but still grumbled to Vala, "Just how am I going to eat with you in the way?"

"Ahh, so that's what's wrong. Poor darling is starving. Here try a bit of this bird. Something similar to earth's turkey, but tastes like chicken."

When he opened his mouth to protest she just popped in the meat. He didn't want to make a scene, not to mention he was hungry and apart from a few people smiling in greeting, no one seemed to be staring.

For the next few minutes, every time his finished chewing, Vala supplied him with another tidbit. He suspected her plan was not to give him a chance to complain. He half wondered about his lack of any real desire to do so, though as he suspected, Vala leaning relaxed in his lap did complicate eating.

She left one arm around his shoulders and he kept one arm around her waist, for support of course, which meant Vala could reach only the plate on his right, while he could only reach the one on the left. Invariably what Vala wanted was on his plate and she constantly had items from hers that she insisted he try and they only had the one knife between them. No forks in this middle age inspired village.

He tried not to think about the intimacy of sharing food, placing favored morsels right on the lips. After about ten minutes of Vala force feeding him, a boy of about 17 placed a pitcher and a single tankard before them.

Over Daniel's shoulder Vala called, "Thank you Thom," at the retreating figure.

"Instead of thanking him, maybe you should have asked for another cup."

"Sharing a mug is also expected."

"We didn't need to before."

"Special treatment. We need to fit in." She licked her fingers clean and then lifted the tankard toward Daniel's lips. "Here, I specially requested this for you."

Reluctantly, Daniel accepted the mug and took a sip, expecting the yeasty bouquet of the local cloudy ale or maybe the stronger burn of distilled liquor. The sweetly tart juice that met his tongue was a surprise.

"Wait, this isn't alcohol?"

"No, it's juice. A blend of apple, something like pear, and a lovely purple berry not available on earth that tingles the palate. If you'd rather the ale instead…"

"No," he took another sip, enjoying the burst of flavors, "I just thought you would."

She rolled her eyes and took the tankard from him. "I've tasted Champagne. Do you think I would so easily go back to the uncertain attributes of a five day old home brew?"

"I'm pretty sure Champagne isn't an option here."

"On special occasions my mother used to make a similar juice and anyway, imbibing the ferments made on this planet is hardly worth the effort between my high tolerance to alcohol and subsequently how often I would be forced to deal with Naturine's lack of advanced plumbing."

"Did you just say…never mind." Only half succeeding in suppressing a grin, he tucked in his memory her small comment about her mother.

"Now Daniel, stop being so suspicious. Aren't you the one that always stresses how important taking part in the customs and celebrations of an alien planet can be? This may be the last bit of fun the village can offer. Can you please try to relax and just take joy in the simple pleasures of life?" She leaned closer and whispered for his ears only, "I promise I'm not going to knock you out, tie you up and have my way with you…I hate to repeat myself."

"Vala!"

"Daniel." She drew his name out and meaningfully shifted her eyes around the rest of the table. His protests were drawing more attention than anything she was doing.

"Ok, fine. You're right, I'm sorry. Fully taking part in their customs will make fitting in for the next few months easier." He left unsaid the part about helping them pass as a married couple. At least anyone listening would know Vala had the nagging part down pat.

"Good, now pass me more of that stuffed vegetable thingy."

By the time they finished their meal, a swarm of Vala's admirers found her and tried to drag her off to entertain them. Somehow instead, she turned the tables and convinced her young followers to put an impromptu pantomime of some of the best loved village stories. The idea was well received by everyone and soon half the town had gathered on the meeting hill to watch the children and eventually, many of their coerced elders perform.

Right away Vala insisted that the ground was too cold and since raised seating was limited, she gestured to him to take a seat on the wooden bench clearly intending to reclaim her spot on his lap. He could have objected, could have dragged over straw like some others were using to insulate themselves from the cold ground, but for reasons he didn't immediately feel like analyzing, he just went along with her plan. He was tired of hearing himself snap at her anyway. Pleased with his easy compliance, the smile Vala gave him lit up her eyes and stretched the curve of her lips even wider.

He got that punched in the gut feeling again, but she turned her attention back to starting skit before he did or said something stupid or unkind. To make sure he didn't, he focused on the surprisingly talented players in front of them instead of the woman perched on his knee. She kept her end of the bargain. There was no inappropriate groping or accidental touching, though the longer the evening wore on, the hazier the lines became on what he considered inappropriate.

For the first time in what felt like years, he let himself completely relax. They were safe - stuck for the time being, but perfectly safe. Better yet, no urgent threat loomed, no one else was waiting to be saved, and his calendar was suddenly wide open.

As his guard dropped, the motives he'd avoided scrutinizing earlier became too clear to ignore. Unceremoniously sending Mitchell back through the gate, scheming against the Village Elder to prevent a separation, and hell, even sneaking around and secretly watching Vala laugh, - all of it was for the same reason. Maybe it was time he stopped pretending he didn't know it.

He shifted on the wooden seat so Vala could lean back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her middle to keep her from slipping and she rested hers arms over his embrace. Grateful for the more comfortable position, she murmured her thanks. He nodded, but didn't say anything, not yet ready to share his revelation aloud. As the evening wore on, he silently admitted a few more simple truths, starting with how much he liked Vala's laughter vibrating against his chest.

He was also through denying the satisfaction he got from the warm, soft weight of her seated on his lap. He closed his eyes and inhaled her clean scent. Somehow even after their longest missions, she always carried that distinct underlying scent of Vala. Sweet like orchids mixed with an unexpected tang of tropical fruit and a hint of cloves and other spices.

He wanted this...this easy closeness, but he wanted all the rest too, everything he'd told himself he didn't want. In this moment he finally could admit it. He wanted the teasing glint in her eyes, the bold smiles, and her clever, unpredictable tongue. He wanted the shared glances, silent conversations, and sultry promises made even in the simple touch of her hand folded over his. He wanted her resilience and courage and the race through the dark woods as long as she was at his side. He wanted her past, her pain, and her burdens that somehow made his easer to bear. And above all, he wanted her to release the feelings his gut insisted she kept bottled up inside just like he had been doing.

Trusting Vala not to play games was a huge risk, but on the other hand, in his life taking the biggest risks had reaped some of the greatest rewards. A leap of faith gave him his precious year with Sha're. He studied the familiar woman now in his arms. It was shocking to think he'd known Vala longer than he'd had the chance to know Sha're.

He wasn't the same person who naively stepped through the gate onto Abydos. He'd expected to spend the rest of his life on that simple desert planet. Then, when Sha're had been taken, he tried to dream of the life they would rebuild on earth. It pained him to realize his imagination couldn't stretch past them being together. Would Sha're have been miserable on Earth living amidst such an alien culture?

Perhaps some questions were best left unanswered.

Since for most of the past few years he'd denied to himself even considering what a relationship with Vala would even be like, he hadn't built up a solid picture of what their life might look like, but he knew Vala would have no trouble assimilating the culture.

Suddenly his heart started to pound, his stomach twisted and his throat ached like he'd swallowed a rock. Was he really going to do this? If he was wrong… After Sha're, he'd been an emotional wreck. Vala could shred his imperfectly healed heart, but as he held her in his arms and breathed in her scent, he relaxed, suddenly comprehending it was too late to worry about the risks of letting her into his soul. She'd stolen past his defenses long ago. Her stealthy intrusion probably marked the moment when his scars finally healed over.

A new understanding stole over him. How could he ever expect Vala to be honest with him if he wasn't honest with her? There were never any guarantees in life... except it was too short. It was time he stopped wasting it.

"I have a confession to make," Daniel whispered next to Vala's ear.

"Oh?" She casually asked, still keeping her eyes on the performance.

"I pushed Mitchell."

That got her attention. She twisted her neck around. "What? Say that again."

A hint of a smile curved up the corner of his mouth. He repeated himself a little louder. "I pushed Mitchell through the Stargate."

Eyes wide and mouth gaping, Vala blinked at him. "You, you…"

"Yes, me." He trailed his fingertips along the curve of her flushed cheek. "I wasn't going to lose you again. Not even for a little while."

Emotions flashed in her silver grey eyes. "Daniel."

"Come with me." He urged her to stand, took her by the hand and led her away from the crowd. He tugged her along past the bonfire and beyond the revelry of any dancers, not giving her a chance to speak. He headed toward a shadowy cluster of empty cottages and then pushed Vala against the back wall, speared his hands through her soft, dark, hair and captured her mouth in an urgent, teeth knocking, lip bruising, tongue tangling, scorching hot, wet kiss.

Vala dug her fingers into the front of his air force issue jacket and met him kiss for kiss, but when they broke apart panting, she scrunched her eyebrows together and pinched her mouth in worry. She placed a cool hand to his forehead and then felt the side of his face.

"You don't have a temperature." She bit her lower lip and considered the matter further. "It couldn't be something you ate since we ate the same food and I'm fairly certain Cameron said the replicants in this galaxy were all destroyed. Maybe I'm the one with the fever." She grabbed his hand and held it to her forehead. "Tell me, am I hot?"

"Smoldering. Vala, there's nothing wrong with either one of us."

"Then…"

Daniel smoothed his hands down the side of her head. The twin moons now high in the autumn sky illuminated her swollen lips and the soft, hopeful look in her eyes. His heart stuttered and caught. Scarred or not, his heart knew what it wanted. What he wanted.

"I should have done this a long time ago, but I'm done with the games I've only now realized I've been playing. You and I, together, as crazy as it has sometime seemed, is the right thing. And I won't give up on something right. The way I see it, I have three months to convince you that what's been unspoken between us is real, deeper than the physical connection and will only get stronger with time. I know I'm coming out of nowhere and demanding a lot and probably sounding, well," he smiled ruefully, "insane, but I…

Midsentence, Vala grabbed two fistfuls of his jacket, pivoted them around so now this time his back was pushed against the cottage wall, and poured everything she was feeling into her answering kiss. By the time they pulled back for air, Daniel was feeling a little addled, but was no longer worried about sounding crazy. Their bottles were uncorked and a veritable Champagne geyser of suppressed feelings gushed everywhere. They didn't need three months to figure out anything. But three little words might help.

"I love you."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Stay tuned for a humorous little epilogue.<em>


	4. Epilogue

**Title:** Three Months

**Author**: BkWurm1

**Pairing**: Daniel/ Vala (Stargate Sg-1) (Only D/V, no other pairings)

**Rating:** PG

**Timeline**: Sometime after Continuum but during the Stargate Universe (brief mention)

**Summary:** With time running out and the risk of being stranded off planet for the next three months, Daniel grapples with his growing feelings for Vala and how they affect the choices he makes.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Epilogue<em>**

**_ … Five months later..._**

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"I suppose you know why I'm calling."

"I suppose I might."

"So you're telling me the rumors are true?"

"Depends on what you heard."

"Oh, just that you have completely lost your mind."

"It's not as bad as that."

"You married her!"

"There were extenuating circumstances."

"Don't tell me." - "Tell me."

"Well, while the people of Naturine were originally willing to overlook the differences in our customs when SG-1 was as a team temporarily visiting, once it was just Vala and myself, they surprised us the next day by performing the matrimonial ceremony so they could be certain we conformed to the local morality of the village."

"Uh ah. I am so not buying it. You love not conforming! You made a career – a life - of not conforming."

Three months Jack. We were trapped together for three months."

"So you just HAD to get her pregnant? And not just a little pregnant."

"We think an indigenous berry counteracted her contraceptive shot. Wait, what exactly is a little pregnant?"

"Not five months along! You two quietly stroll back home and wait almost another two months before fessing up? I checked the calendar; I did the math. Once trapped on planet, did you even wait a week? A day?"

"You know what, no, we didn't wait, but then we both decided we'd waited long enough to be happy." Daniel's temper cooled as quickly as it heated up. He sighed. "I love her Jack. She makes me feel things I thought I'd left buried in another life."

Silence.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. You could have told me, you know."

"I'm sorry."

"As it was, I had to hear it from Teal'c. Do you have any idea how smug he's been acting since he won both the D.C. and the Cheyenne Mountain pool? Dammit, I was sure I'd have the inside track."

"Wait…you're upset not because I married Vala, but because by not confiding in you about it, you lost a bet?"

"And knocked her up too. Don't forget knocking her up. There was an extra grand riding on that."

"Jack!"

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Did you really think you could live and work at a top secret military facility and nobody would notice you falling in love with the equally love-struck former pirate princess?"

"Is a little privacy too much to hope for?"

"Heck, yeah! Tell you what, I'll issue an order for everyone to at least act surprised if you tell me one thing."

Daniel sighed. "What's that?"

"What are you expecting? Is it a little Daniel or a Vala junior?" Daniel heard the rustle of paper. "I've got girl, Sam put money down on boy, Mitchell is sticking his fingers in his ears going la, la, la, and Teal'c is letting everything ride on twins. So how about it? I can still make Walter change my bet."

"Goodbye Jack."

"Wait. How about names? I think Jacquelyn has a nice ring. Daniel? Daniel?"


End file.
